Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; NIST MEP Client Impact Survey

Issuing agencies

Abstract

The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 166 (Friday, August 28, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 166 (Friday, August 28, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Page 55519]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-17569]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; NIST MEP Client Impact Survey

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of Information Collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information 
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information 
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The 
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment 
preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before October 27, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by 
mail to Maureen O'Reilly, Management Analyst, NIST, 100 Bureau Drive, 
MS 1710, Gaithersburg, MD 20899 or by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a1f1f3e0efe8f2f5e1cfc8d2d58fc6ced7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="37676576797e646377595e444319505841">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 0693-0021 in the subject line of your 
comments. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise 
sensitive or protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
to Melissa Davis, NIST MEP, by phone at 301.975.5039, or by email at 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#513c343d382222307f3530273822113f3822257f363e27"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="234e464f4a5050420d4742554a50634d4a50570d444c55">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    Sponsored by NIST, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is 
a national network of state-designated manufacturing extension centers 
working with small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) to assist them 
in developing new products and customers, expanding and diversifying 
markets, adopting new technologies, developing workforce strategies and 
solutions, and enhancing value within supply chains, ultimately 
improving SMM productivity and competitiveness. The information 
collected will provide the MEP Program with information and 
intelligence regarding outcomes associated with MEP Center technical 
assistance provided to U.S. based manufacturers. The collected 
information will assist in determining the performance of the MEP 
Centers at both local and national levels, provide information critical 
to monitoring and reporting on MEP programmatic performance, support a 
greater understanding of the effect of MEP Center technical assistance 
on U.S. SMMs, provide local insights on manufacturing trends, and 
assist management in policy decisions. Responses to the collection of 
information are voluntary. The information collected will include MEP 
client inputs regarding their sales, costs, investments, and 
employment, as well as inputs on client competitiveness challenges. MEP 
clients will take the survey online. Customers will only be surveyed 
once per year under this collection. Data collected in this survey is 
confidential.

II. Method of Collection

    Information will be collected electronically.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0693-0021.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Extension of a current information collection.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 14,500.
    Estimated Time per Response: 12 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 2,900.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: 0.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau 
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is 
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether 
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy 
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed 
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden 
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone 
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in 
your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including 
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available 
at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your 
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2026-17569 Filed 8-27-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P


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